BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Zak Cummings spent most of the first two rounds against Alexander Yakovlev trying to pressure his opponent into making a mistake.

Late in the second round he succeeded, and soon Cummings (20-5 MMA, 5-2 UFC) had Yakovlev (23-8-1 MMA, 2-4 UFC) stretched out on the floor, stuck in a straight armbar that forced him to tap, bringing an end to the fight at the 4:02 mark of Round 2.

From the opening moments of the bout, Cummings was in full control of the center of the cage. Yakovlev preferred to circle away from his attacks with his back up against the fence. It made for a frustrating first round for Cummings, who spent much of the opening frame chasing his man and trading single shots before Yakovlev slipped away again.

But Cummings kept the heat on and late in the second, and Yakovlev made a fatal error. After a failed takedown attempt by Yakovlev, Cummings use an underhook to ragdoll him to the mat, and he then flattend him out with head control and quickly stepped over into a reverse triangle.

What Cummings was really after, however, was Yakovlev’s exposed right arm, which he immediately ensnared in a straight armbar and torqued until Yakovlev submitted.

“I went in with my game plan and knowing that if I stuck to what I’m good at, no one can beat me,” Cummings sad. “So, I just have to show up. I knew that he didn’t deal with pressure very well, so I wanted to pressure him and really keep him on his heels. When I got him to the ground, that’s just a sneaky little move that I do and I got him.”

The victory gets Cummings back in the win column for the first time since his decision loss to Santiago Ponzinibbio in August. Yakovlev has now lost two straight.

On March 19, 2011, 23-year-old Jon Jones brutalized UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history. But for Jones, it was only the start of a wild ride that at times spun out of control.